June 22, 2018

Yesteryear
One year ago today: June 22, 2017, solar panel advice.
Five years ago today: June 22, 2013, quite the hobby.
Nine years ago today: June 22, 2009, considering Karaoke.
Random years ago today: June 22, 2016, begin the attic - 2 yrs ago!

           Happy Barbarossa Day. The humidity was so high it woke me up. The air conditioners are both working full blast along with the attic fan. It remains to be seen if any work can get done today, although things usually progress once you get started. And ignore the Barbarossa comment, I have nothing but admiration for the way the Soviets defended their union, though I disagree with their methods. There is an old saying that it takes a very brave man to be a coward in the Red Army. I also wish the struggle had not been with Germany. How can you tell I was reading history late last night in the coffee shop. They stay open until 10:00PM Thursday through Saturday. That’s how far in the boonies I am.

           If you look closely, there is one of those, what are they called, nearly dead center of this photo. If you click to enlarge, you’ll see it. A plastic wing and some guy (always a guy) with a propeller strapped on his back, flying over the city. That’s when I realized I’ve never actually seen one of these contraptions except on-line. So, it grabs top story. He was observing the rule about not flying too low. Much as I always wanted to fly, I don’t think I’d be keen on doing it that way.

           I tackled part of the 26 pages of documentation so far on the hotdog cart. I don’t think I’ve got a lot to worry about as far as somebody else suddenly deciding to start up as competition. I doubt they’d know even where to find all this paperwork. If you fill these forms out, you begin to realize why I’m the highest paid on the crew. The rest is just gronk work. I’ve got twenty bucks says 90% of the carts already out there have some paperwork incomplete or overdue.
           And the authorities allow it because near the bottom of each required filing date, you can get the specs on the fines they charge. Not renewing you license annually will cost you $400 and so on. Then there’s the $135 registration, plus the wagon license. Even if somebody teamed up with another operator, I can’t see most people keeping up with all the forms and paperwork. And how about the 28% withholding tax. My point is, I wonder how many operators out there just accept these heavy penalties as another cost of doing business. I had to set up a separate diarized calendar system just to follow along, but I think I’ve got a handle on it now.
           This is not the America I grew up in. But, all the easy and permissible ways to get ahead are long taken. Of course, since everything is done according to laws, there is no corruption. But there is an obvious sub-industry established on collecting these fines and penalties, and that is un-American no matter how you slice it.

Picture of the day.
Volkswagen electric car.
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           And we spent another ten man-hours peeling the first layer of grime off. It was not dirty grime, but that coating of slightly oily Florida smog you get parking anything outdoors for a few years. As that went along, every thing got wiped down with bleach solution again, and this time it started turning white. The interior wood was painted but without primer so it is flaking due to humidity alone. All of this will be brought up to robot club standards in a day or two.

           There will be plenty of repetition in the blog reports as we go through this. It’s the nature of learning as you go. The same situation crops up repeatedly. We have a better idea how long things will take, so we project an opening date of around August 2, 2018. I’m considering a rule that anybody who operates the cart know how the plumbing tubes work. It’s straightforward once you memorize it, but there was a lot of back and forth and hose-wiggling to get it in order. It had been disconnected for storage. We also go the water tanks flushed, with like ten times the recommended volume of fresh water.

           And yes, we are attracting all kinds of advice. I wish they’d go away. I’m sick and tired of people saying there is nothing to stop you from getting ahead. Everything is against you. If it does not help or remain neutral, dammit, that’s an obstacle. Only people who’ve never really tried can’t get that concept into their pointy little heads. Everything out there will trip you up if you let it. The system is designed to snag you over any short-cut you take. Don’t want to incorporate? The system lets the first bozo who chokes on a bun sue you for all you’ve got. You know what I’m talking about. And most of the system is not designed to increase public safety. That’s their cover story. It is designed to prevent you from getting ahead without paying your dues.

           This is a pic of the business end of the cart. Two burners, and they are missing the brass diffusers. If we can’t find them, the burners themselves have to be entirely replaced. The burner to the far left boils the water that reheats the hotdogs. To the right, the other burner warms a pan of water into which rests smaller pans for things like the buns, to keep them soft.

           I wound up getting soaked, but all the tasks for today were successfully completed. The remaining big event is firing up the burners. It seems both propane tanks are empty, but I found the regulator is one of those fancy models that will switch over from a main tank to a reserve, and allow you to disconnect the main for refilling. I think they run $60 apiece, so I’m happy with that. My experience with the smaller 20 pound tanks is that, if left long enough, they all seem to eventually leak. Figuring out the ideal recipes is for Agt. R, who has some experience at this. It appears to involve heating the hotdogs to 165°F and before they rest seven minutes at that temperature, grill them on the separated griddle bolted to the side.
           Interesting. If it was me, I’d go look up that laser place that zaps the grill marks onto the meat. Remember that one, the steak that had the business card laser etched on the surface.

           I finally finished watching the Hillary Duff movie, it got predictable at the end and some of the actors were not into their roles. However, shown here is a still from the movie that, to me, typifies everything that has gone wrong with bass playing. I’m all for different styles, but what this guy is doing is totally unoriginal. Instead of focusing on his instrument, he is more into his power-stance/power-dance. It’s the way a guitar player would approach bass playing with the attitude that people in second place have to try harder. And acting like a jerk is one of the easiest ways to try harder.
           This guy was gyrating around behind Duff, doing everything he could to portray how “into” the music he was, but I’m a bassist myself and know when it’s fake. The pose and style shown here are an embarrassment to real bass players. I say, nothing original, every move he makes has been done before in the same order. And Duff’s music is totally too mellow for me. Over-orchestrated with no hooks, no catchy melody, no novelty, it was like listening to 1980s Michael Jackson. As soon as the tune is over, you forget how it goes.

           As the renovations approach an end (still lots to go) you may see other projects inching back into the picture. Here’s one that is out of necessity. This is what an official robot club battery purge looks like. Except you would not leave the battery charger outdoors, that would be a quick way to go buy a new one. This is the blog of painless learning, so I’ll tell you what’s going on here.
           This is the marine battery that drained when the scooter fell over while I was in Miami last summer. Normally, you don’t want the plates to get dry, but they are dry when you buy a packaged battery. Drain your used battery as dry as you can. The trick is to flush any loose lead out, so pour in a gallon of distilled water laced with 3/4 cup (10oz) of baking soda. If you got a box in your fridge you should have replaced a year ago, use that, the older stuff works better. Don’t do this indoors, these batteries hold a gallon and if there is any acid left, expect a reaction. I had a near explosion, but I was wearing total safety gear. Shake the battery or rock it with your foot for a minute, then pour it into the container where you emptied the old acid. You’ll get foaming, but once it’s done, you can pour the neutralized liquid down the drain. Just don’t tell any body I said that.

           Then, get a pot on your stove and heat up enough ordinary water to dissolve a whole pound of Epsom salt (magnesium something or other), then dilute that to a gallon, you did save your distilled water jug, didn’t you? Top the cells off and connect to your charger at the trickle or 2 amp setting for a full 24 hours. Here’s the catch, you want the battery outside (it emits poisonous, explosive gasses) and the charger inside if possible. And you will need a load tester, that’s the third box lying on the lower step. Tomorrow, connect it and see if you get 12.6 to 12.7 volts. The six cells inside the battery case are 2.1 volts each.
           Then hit the load button and see if you get 100 or more cranking amps. If so, you have a good battery. If no, drain the battery below 12 volts and charge it again. If the battery is in your car, just turn on the headlights. If it is separate, like here, use your imagination. Don’t leave the load tester on for more than a few seconds. Or you’ll find out how it supplies the load. Try the 12.6 volt routine three times, if you still get nothing, the battery is shot. I think this one is a goner, but check in tomorrow.

ADDENDUM

           Here, I finally found the picture of milk in the cardboard box. Beside my staple, Raisin Bran. This is not the tetra-pak milk, but it is sealed in these boxes with a shelf life of about a year without refrigeration. An important survival item.
           In other news, I removed the front porch deck. It took only an hour, as the boards were not yet attached. Yeah, the city won that round. Doing things their way would have cost half the price of the entire building just for the deck part. And there is no guarantee the city will leave things alone. I’ve heard horror stories from other people who’ve attracted their attention. The city has essentially used code enforcement to prevent any homeowner from improving or adding to his property without hiring a building contractor. And none of them will touch anything less than $30,000. Great job there, City Hall.

Last Laugh

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